Title: Fire and Ice
Rating: T for now, but for later chapters it will change to M.
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Just past midnight and the rain continues to fall steadily outside. Santana stands by her bedroom window, arms folded, watching as the rain drops move lithely down the glass. She has been standing there for a long time, thinking about everything and yet nothing in particular. Not a single light or lamp is on in her room, but the lights from the quiet suburban street outside ghostly illuminate it enough for everything to be seen.
The brunette hears the floorboards creek behind her; she slowly turns her head to see her mother standing in the shadows, leaning up against her door frame. Santana had heard her coming, she can distinguish her mothers footsteps approaching long before she appears.
"First day, are you nervous?" she hears her mother ask gently. Santana turns away and looks back out the window. "No. High school is high school. No matter where it is." The monotone reply doesn't hide the bitterness in her voice, and it doesn't go unnoticed. She hears her mother sigh tiredly but she just continues to stare at the rain falling on her window. "Just give it more time." Santana's jaw clenches and she resists the urge to roll her eyes. "Give it a chance here. Not just for your father's sake, but for all of us."
Her mother's words are quiet, but Santana can still hear the exhaustion in them. Deep down, she knows she's the cause of it. A few silent moments pass before the older woman slowly moves away from the doorway, "Anyway, I'm off to work." It's barely a whisper and Santana doesn't turn to watch her mother slowly disappear down the hallway, she just continued to stare out her window.
The Lopez family moved to Lima, Ohio from Los Angeles nearly two months ago. Santana's father Carl, was a well established automotive designer who owned and managed several of his own auto/body shops. Living in LA, he had plenty of customers; there was never a shortage of "hotted-up" vehicles in demand in LA. His business was extremely successful, bringing in more money than anyone would have expected, but over the years he had begun to lose his passion for it.
The main reason for moving away to Ohio in the first place was to do with Carl's desire to start fresh somewhere, somewhere totally different. He wanted to own a simple shop in a small town, work as a mechanic, and go back to doing what he loved: fixing cars. They were financially secure and had become tired of the superficial LA scene, and thought a simpler, quieter life would be a nice change for the family. His wife Gloria is a surgeon, working almost every day and all sorts of hours. She completely supported her husband's suggestion to move from the start, she always felt that LA never really seemed to fit their family.
Santana was just about to turn eighteen and begin her senior year of high school when her parents broke the news to her and her little brother Marcus. They had asked how she felt about the idea, and all she remembers is simply shrugging her shoulders and mumbling a quiet "whatever" before going back to her room. She was neither happy nor sad. There wasn't really anyone or anything in particular she would miss despite having lived in the city her whole life. She didn't really feel anything about the idea of moving to another state. Leaving her friends, leaving her home, none of it really hit her hard. The inconvenience of it all annoyed her more than anything else. Other than that, she didn't care. Marcus was sad at first because he was happy where they lived, but he was quickly excited by the thought of meeting and making new friends. That was the big difference with Santana, she was never happy in LA. Truthfully, she had never really been happy, anywhere.
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The morning came around fast. Santana, once showered and dressed, threw her bag over her shoulder and wondered downstairs into the kitchen. Her long, dark hair hanging loosely around her shoulders, dressed in her usual jeans and band t-shirt, accompanied by a pair of her trademark black leather boots. With her mother still at work, Santana finds her father sitting at the breakfast table next to her little brother, who is eating his usual bowl of Lucky Charms. She gives her dad a small smile while walking over to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water and throwing it in her bag. "Morning sweetie. You sure you don't want me to give you a ride?" Her father asks kindly as Santana just shakes her head in response. "No it's fine, I feel like the walk. Have fun today shrimp." Santana ruffles her little brother's hair affectionately as she walks past him to the door. "I will! Have fun too San!" Santana shakes her head with a little smile as she steps out into the fresh morning air and closes the door behind her.
Traces of rain from the night before are all but gone as the warm sun beats down on her shoulders as she casually crosses her front yard. The Lopez family moved into by far the biggest house in the street, but Santana still can't distinguish one from the other as they all look so creepily similar. A typical example of suburban America architecture, she thinks.
As she steps out onto the footpath she looks up to see Puck jogging across the road towards her, wearing a stupid smile on his face and his back pack flung over his shoulder. Puck and his family live in the house directly opposite the Lopez's, on the other side of the street. "Morning Santana! You're looking devastatingly sexy today as always." Puck smiles teasingly as he gently nudges the Latina's shoulder, slowing his pace as he moves to walk beside her. "Bite me Puckerman." Santana shoves the mohawked boy back with her own shoulder as the two walk side by side down the footpath towards school. She's only been living in Lima for two months, but Santana's already found a solid friend in Puck.
The day they had arrived, the boy and his father had come over introducing themselves and offering their help to unload the trucks of furniture. Ever since then, Puck has been a regular visitor at the Lopez household, and Santana at his. Despite their aggressive and sometimes overly flirty banter with each other, Santana and Puck get along like a house on fire. True friends and soul mates from the get go. Though neither would ever admit it. "Excited for your first day at McKinley High? Don't forget to check your soul at the door." Puck jokes overtly as he watches his friend reach into her bag, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. "I'm so excited I can barely contain myself." Puck laughs at the brunette's sarcastic reply and watches as Santana places a cigarette between her lips and lights it without breaking stride. "Be warned, it will drain your life. Those things will kill ya you know?" Puck smiles and raises an eyebrow, gesturing to the cigarette Santana has just taken a long, deep drag from. Santana nods her head as she slowly exhales, "So I hear. Want one?" She holds the pack up towards the boy. "Yep." Puck takes one out and lights it while Santana places the pack back in her bag. She and Puck both smoke like chimneys, one of the many things they have in common, they just don't do it in front of their parents. They know it's a disgusting habit. But they figure it's their disgusting habit to share.
The walk to school barely takes fifteen minutes, Puck having already informed Santana of how nearby it was. It was convenient, and Santana quickly agreed to join Puck on his walk there every morning. They both had cars, but figured a walk together would be a good way to start the day. And also a cheeky way to fit in a couple of cigarettes each before the school day began.
They walked into the parking lot of McKinley High, Santana stopping and letting out a sigh as she took in her new surroundings. She watches as the hundreds of students walk around everywhere like clusters of ants, reuniting happily with their friends. Puck stops beside her and throws his arm over her shoulder. "Well, beginning of senior year Lopez. Let's see how long its takes us to get our asses suspended." Santana's eyes land on a group of junior Cheerleaders, squealing and hugging each other excitedly as though they hadn't seen each other for years. Santana already wanting to punch each and every one of them. She chuckles quietly to herself, "Don't think it'll take very long."
Puck looks over to where Santana's looking, spotting the pack of giggling cheerleaders. "Yeh, making the cheer-bitches lives hell is one of the few joys I get out of this place. Jut don't get too close, you'll catch a disease." Santana shrugs Pucks arm off as she turns to the mohawked boy with a sly smile. "Speaking of diseases, shagged Berry yet?" She laughs at the horrified look appearing on Pucks face, and accepts the playful smack he gives her arm. "Shut up Lopez, it's not about "shagging" her! Might be hard for you to believe but I actually like her for more than just her looks." Santana smiles and rolls her eyes at her friend, "Yeh sure Puck." He bumps her shoulder again as the pair continue to stand in the middle of the parking lot. Santana knows Puck has a huge thing for Rachel Berry, it's all she's heard about since the day she met the guy. Puck was smitten with the tiny brunette, but refused to tell anyone besides Santana.
Santana even ended up meeting and befriending the girl and her diva counterpart/best friend Kurt. She didn't mind them, even Rachel. Sure the petite brunette was overbearing and attention seeking, but the girl was nice none the less. Welcoming Santana as a friend with open arms. Truthfully Santana just liked winding Puck up about it all. The mohawked, badass, rebel was nothing but a lovesick puppy when it came to Rachel, and Santana found it all very entertaining. Although there was only so much she could take, all his talk about "love and feelings" just made her want to throw up most of the time.
"Speak of the devil, here comes your little love muffin now." Santana gestures across the quad to where Rachel and Kurt have spotted the two and are already walking over to meet them. Puck glares at Santana as he turns to see Rachel walking across campus towards them with her signature smile plastered on her face. Puck was on the football team and had a reputation for being quite the ladies man, but there was something about the tiny brunette that totally disarmed his usual confidence. "If you weren't a girl I'd smack that smile off that sexy face of yours." Puck jokes as he desperately tries to grain control of the nerves suddenly rushing through his body, which unfortunately doesn't go unnoticed by Santana. "Yeah well if you weren't a girl I would have slapped this crap out of you ages ago!" She can't help it, it's just too easy to poke fun at the boy and his gooey feelings, and she knows Puck adores her enough to take it. Puck can't help but laugh at the brunette beside him, he really did adore her, and he found her honesty and general bitterness about everything fresh and endearing. Another thing they had in common.
"Santana, the day you fall helplessly for someone, mark my words, I'll be right here beside you ready and waiting to give you just as much crap as you're giving me." Santana rolls her eyes at the mere thought of such a scenario, she just shakes her head and doesn't even bother with a reply. Puck knows her well, but she knows herself far better. That sort of thing does not happen to Santana Lopez.
She just didn't have it in her.